[Bug 21493] New: Describe the longdesc link rot issue and suggest how to combat it

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=21493

            Bug ID: 21493
           Summary: Describe the longdesc link rot issue and suggest how
                    to combat it
    Classification: Unclassified
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Hardware: PC
               URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/2013/WD-html-longdesc-20130312/#l
                    ongdesc
                OS: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML Image Description Extension
          Assignee: chaals@yandex-team.ru
          Reporter: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no
        QA Contact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: public-html-admin@w3.org,
                    xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no

Link rot is a well known problem on the Web:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_rot

And the infamous Longdesc lottery article, and other contributions to the
debate, have claimed that longdesc links are particulary prone to rot. One
reason for this problem - it is being said - is that "hidden metadata" is
particulary prone to rot.

And sure enough, it is just a waste of time - and a distraction, for the user,
if a link intended for accessibility leads to a 404 page, or some such thing.

Therefore I suggest adding to the spec a section - or at least a note - about
the longdesc attribute and link rot. This sections should briefly describe the
following:

* the link rot problem in general
* why it is an extra problem for the longdesc audience
* suggest methods for avoiding the problem:
 # Conformance checkers MAY check for dead links/404 messages.
 # UAs SHOULD 'hightlight' the presence of a longdesc so that
   users - and authors - use and discover them, and thus react
   if they find that the longdesc links are rotten
 # Authors SHOULD be aware of the problem, and consider  
   strategies for avoding such rot:
  o use data URIs, to embed external descriptions in page itself;
  o place descriptiosn in a fragment of the page itself;
  o manage descriptions the same way images are managed:
    http://xstandard.com/en/articles/advanced-image-management/
  o using stable image description databases/services
    - http://rebuildingtheweb.com/en/longdesc-replacement/ 
    - http://objectdescription.org
  o use backlinks, from longdesc resource back to described image,
    so that it is easy to 'round trip'
  o keep the URIs cool: http://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/URI.html
  o more advice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_rot#Combating

Btw, it would be a good start of this section to point out that longdesc is in
fact a link - a URI.

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Received on Monday, 1 April 2013 16:46:18 UTC